Pyro's Story
by Raven D'Acanto
Summary: I read a little thing on Pyro and my love of him as rekindled. So, I wrote this. I guess it's kinda a history of Pyro that I'm making up. Please, R&R, even though I don't know where this FF is going.
1. And Old Friend

(A/N: Ok, well. I was reading another fanfict and remembered my love of Pyro. So here's a little narrative on him and some chick I made up O.o. I dunno where I'm going with this, or if I'll ever update or anything. I just hope you enjoy reading it. Please Read and Review.)

A red haired boy walked down the street, flicking his lighter open and closed expertly. He had a rather full backpack slung over one shoulder, and a gas tank trailing behind him. He needed the gas tank to refill his suit, but it didn't fit in the small pack. Flicking the lighter open and closed, he saw a gas station and felt relief wash over him, he needed food. He carefully put the gas tank and his backpack outside the station before going in; nobody would dare steal these precious items from a known mutant.

When he walked in, the gas station fell into a hushed silence. Ever sense Apocalypse had vanished, everybody had been very wary of mutants. They knew who some of the mutant fighters were, but the fact that they didn't know about the others frightened the people of Bayville more than the fact that a dangerous mutant was in the station now. Most of the people probably wished Congress would pass the Mutant Registration Act; imagining all of the mutants with barcodes tattooed into their foreheads.

The boy tucked the lighter in his pocket; it would be best if they didn't see it, so he could get some food without having to blow the damn place up first. Grabbing a Twinkie, a large bag of chips, and a soda, the mutant went to the front of the line. Everybody else had moved out of the way. He put the stuff on the counter and asked in an Australian accent, "How much is it?"

He looked at the terrified cashier and wasn't shocked to hear the cashier stutter, "Just t-take it and leave, p-please. It's f-free."

The mutant couldn't help but grin as he asked, "Can I have a bag for this stuff?" The cashier seemed shocked, then he scurried to get a plastic back from under the counter and shoved the mutant's food into it.

"I-is that all?" The cashier asked after a deep breath. The redhead shook his head and grabbed the bag and left. As he walked out, he decided he should call an old friend for some help; it was getting dark. When the door closed, he could hear the station break into scared chatter. The cashier had grabbed the phone receiver, probably calling the police, thinking it would do some good. The police couldn't do anything to the fire-loving mutant until the Mutant Restraint Act was approved. So far, the act was unconstitutional, just like the Mutant Registration Act. If either of them passed, the boy was sure it would be Registration.

The thought of being tagged like that sent chills down his spine; but it wouldn't be much different from how it was now. Almost everybody knew him as the horrible mutant that followed the merciless master of metal: Magneto. Some people knew his name, from when he had burned it into the sky as a sign of his power, Pyro. That was what he had called himself. It was all Magneto's fault. He didn't know why he had joined the Acolytes, but this pyromaniac boy was now tagged for life as a mutant terrorist. Although sending Apocalypse away had convinced the police to drop their charges, Pyro was still in deep water. And he hated water.

* * *

Raven lay in her bed, covers on the floor, the moon shining on her through a hole in the roof. A deep cut on her wrist was slowly closing up and healing. It became just a scar, and then vanished completely. She ran a hand down her now bloody wrist and took a towel with dried blood on it and wiped her wrist clean. She looked at it again and wondered why she was so fucked up.

She rose from her bed, her wolf ears perking up through her black wavy hair and swiveling around. She hadn't heard anything, but that didn't mean she was going to be caught off guard. Taking a deep breath, the feral took in her surroundings; nothing new. Her green wolf-like eyes scanned around her then landed on the bloody knife that lay on the ground. She picked it up gingerly, her black, bushy tail twitching as she smelt the strong sent of her own fresh blood on it.

She rinsed off the blade and dried her hands, long, pointy, black nails glinting in the small moonlight. Leaning against a counter top, Raven reached up, playing with one of her earrings unconsciously; she had five of them. She had two matching earrings in each ear and one at the top on her left ear. Her two closest earrings were connected with two small silver chains and the top earring, the one she was playing with, was a loop with a single feather dangling from it.

She was wearing a black tube top that had a blue full moon on it. Her pants were black, long, and baggy with too many pockets; the thread was a shade of blue that matched her shirt. She also wore a barbed wire necklace that could almost be a choker and a raven with outstretched wings was attached by its wings to a long silver chain that was also around her neck. On her wrist was a charm bracelet with the eight stages of the moon on it.

Raven jumped out of her trance when the phone rang. She hadn't expected this, especially because the phone _never_ rang. Walking swiftly across the three room apartment, Raven picked up the receiver and answered with a sharp, "Hello?" She hadn't been in contact with people for at least a year, why the hell was somebody calling her now?

"Raven?" A desperate, Australian accent asked.

Raven sighed, "John, that you?"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice starting to calm. "Where are you? I need some help, here."

"Sorry, Hun, I'm not much of a helper anymore." Raven said with another sigh. He hadn't talked to her sense they had lived together. Whatever help he needed, he could surely find it from one of his new friends he had no doubt made some time in the past two years.

"Please," John pressured, "I just need a place to stay. I know we haven't talked in a while, but, please. Just for a while, I'll work and everything." He waited a while and said in a whisper, "I just need a place to stay."

Raven closed her eyes tight; it hurt her to hear him so desperate. Something had to be wrong; she had to help him. "Fine, where are you? I'll come and pick you up." In her head, Raven screamed at herself for doing this. Although she had denied it when she first recognized his voice over the phone, she had to admit it… she still had feelings for him… even if he was able to manipulate fire.

"Oh, thank God." John said before he gave Raven the intersection he was at. He wasn't too far away. Raven should be able to rig a car and get it back to the parking lot before the owner noticed it was missing.

She closed her eyes and felt darkness suddenly cover her. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the darkness disappeared to reveal Raven, only with normal human ears, normal human eyes, normal human hands, and no tail.

Once properly disguised, she went down to the parking lot and smiled at her luck, the red convertible was there. The owner was probably in his room, sleeping off the hang over he had gotten the night before. She jumped into the driver's seat and shifted her hand to its feral form. The black nail grew on her pointer finger until it was long and narrow. She stuck her nail into the ignition and felt a slight shock as the car began to hum. Now it was time to go get John before he got himself into more trouble.


	2. Murderer

Raven sped down the street, hoping John hadn't gotten in over his head. When she found him, Raven hit the brakes and swung the car around so she was facing him. "Hurry up," She demanded, "before my landlord wakes up and decides I've gotta pay rent for the last few months."

John looked at the sky and laughed, "Is your landlord nocturnal?" His Australian accent was thick, and Raven realized how much she missed it.

"No, but he knows I am." Raven replied as John walked around the car and got in.

Eyeing the interior of white leather and a black cross hanging from the review mirror, he commented, "This isn't you style… did you steal it?" His voice was calm and relaxed, like he didn't care either way.

She glanced over at him and replied in a lame defense, "I'll give it back." John laughed and their conversation died as Raven raced back to her crappy apartment.

When the two got out of the car, John looked around the garage, "So… how have you managed to keep your apartment without paying."

Raven shrugged, "Nobody else would buy it. I still pay once in a while, so it's not like he's _loosing_ any money." The two went up the stairs as the red-haired fire boy looked at each door. John had no doubt noticed the fact that the higher they got, the worse the doors looked and the more worn the hall looked.

"You're on the top, aren't you?" He asked; a hint of dread in his voice.

"Yup," Raven replied cheerfully, "It _is_ a piece of crap, but it's home!"

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When John walked into Raven's apartment, he realized she hadn't been joking; it was a piece of crap. The room he had entered was small, and only had a mattress on the ground with sheets strewn around it. He could see across the room into another room, which was apparently the kitchen. It had a refrigerator, a sink, a stove, and a counter at the far end. The fridge was humming loudly and in the sink were a few dishes and a knife, still with the remains of blood. On the other side of the first room was a closed door, which John assumed was the bathroom, although the door was closed.

Raven walked across the room, pulled a few sheets from the floor and dropped them on the floor a couple of paces away. "Your bed, Saint John." She said in a mock respectful tone. John couldn't help but grin. Only Raven knew his full name was St. John Allerdyce. Not even Magneto knew his parents had dubbed him a saint at birth; and it was Eric who had ruined it all. The thought caused John's face to contort from happiness to despair.

Raven noticed his change in attitude, as she always did, and walked over to him, whispering, "What's wrong?" She knew he didn't often get upset, and when he did, it was something big.

John shook his head, refusing to talk. But Raven wouldn't take it. She gestured to her mattress and said quietly, "Come. Sit." He did as he was told and she sat next to him. "You can tell me." She insisted. He knew he could trust her, he could tell her anything; and he had come to her to tell her everything. He had to tell her.

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John took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling to find there wasn't one. He stared at the moon above him and began to relax. Raven sat beside him, waiting patiently, legs crossed. "When I left, I told you I was going to find out who killed my parents. On the way, I found a man named Eric Lensherr. He helped me with my powers and gave me the name Pyro. I worked for him a while, looking for the murderer of my parents. My friend, Piotr, helped me find what I needed. When I found out who it was, I did everything I could to put him in harms way. I even set him up to be killed by Apocalypse."

John sighed, putting his head in his hands, "It was Mr. Lensherr… my boss had killed my parents. He knew I'd leave to find him and he used it to get me to work for him. He used me like one of his puppets. He made me the bad guy to the world and killed my parents, so I'd have nowhere to go… except back to him."

Raven put her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "But you do have somewhere to go… you have here… with me."

John froze, his entire body tensed as he looked over at her. "No. I shouldn't have come here." He stood, pulling himself away from Raven. "If he knows about you, you're as good as dead."

Raven stood and stared at him. "Do you honestly think I can't take down some human who runs around killing people to get flunkies?" She demanded, clearly insulted by his concern for her.

"I never said he was human." John said seriously. "Eric's a _very_ powerful mutant… he calls himself Magneto."

Raven had heard his name before, but he didn't scare her. She shrugged, "Big deal. He's a big talker; I bet he'd go down easy."

John shook his head, "He's smarter than he looks. He'll use anything he can find against you. You'd be a joke to him."

"You're the one that came to me." Raven stated, crossing her arms, "You can't come here and suddenly decide to leave!" She started to lose her temper, "When you left, I had nothing to lose. Now that you're back; now that I have something, don't you _dare_ leave again. You're the only person in the world that ever gave a damn about me! And when you were around to help me through stuff, I had something to live for! And believe it or not, I _like_ having something to live for!"

(A/N: Yeah, I know, a horrible place to stop… but I was stuck, and just be grateful I actually updated. Of course, now that I've gotten into it, there's no way I'm not gonna update some time later.)


	3. Cleaning Up

((A/N: I can't believe I actually updated this thing! I hope people actually notice it. It's been so long I'm sure anybody who was interested in it earlier has forgotten about it -tear-. Please RnR. I'd love to hear feedback and maybe actually update it again. I get deeper into Raven and make John seem like an all around good guy. -Which I totally believe it true-. And just so y'all know, I don't hate Magneto. In fact I adore the guy and -if I were a mutant- I would have joined him not Xavier and the X-Pansies. -wink-. That's all. Please enjoy and RnR!)

John stood still, astonished at her statement. Her life was hell, she had no purpose, she felt empty and alone. In his eyes, Raven seemed carefree and cheerful, with a reckless nature. But now he understood, Raven was troubled and reckless, a person without a cause and nothing to lose. His temper vanished when he saw tears begin to rim Raven's eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ run away again," she whispered, her voice shaky, "I don't think I could stand to wait for you again."

John sat next to Raven again, and hesitated. She had let something slip she hadn't meant to. He had heard it, but he had a feeling she hadn't even noticed. "You were waiting for me?" He asked.

Raven's eyes met his reluctantly, "You're the only living being that's ever shown a small ounce of care for me. Do you honestly think I _wouldn't_ have waited for you?"

They fell into silence. John didn't know how to reply. Fortunately, Raven spoke up.

"You should go to sleep. Your bed's over there. You came here for a place to stay, that's all. So, that's all I'm going to ask of you. If you're not here in the morning, I won't hold it against you." She forced a smile, "I've lasted two whole years without you here, I can last a few more." But something in her voice told him that she couldn't. She had reached the end of her line. If he left now, he had no doubt it would push her to the edge.

"Good night, Raven," John said, standing and walking across the room to the pile of sheets on the floor. He got them situated and lay down, staring across at her.

"Good night, my dearest Saint John Allerdyce." She replied with another smile before also laying down. She lay on her back for a few minutes, staring up at the moon, before curling up on her side and falling asleep.

John continued to look at her. As she drifted off to sleep, her true from began to show through. Her black wolf's ears, fuzzy black tail, pointed nails, and all around feral look reappeared. She had hidden it when she went to pick up John and probably forgotten to un-hide it. But it didn't bother John. He knew all about her past.

She used to have a sister; Kristen. She and Kristen were abandoned by their parents when they discovered Raven was a mutant. She could create illusions with her mind. The two traveled around a lot before they found a place they could stay. Raven got a job at a place that wanted mutants. Raven worked for them for a long time before Kristen realized what they were doing to her big sister. Mutant testing was illegal, but these guys didn't care. They were paying Raven enough money that she wouldn't complain. She had enough to support Kristen with a decent home and good food.

When Kristen found out, she told Raven she would run away if she wouldn't quit her job. It took a lot of persuading to get Raven to leave. It was only when the after effects of their testing started to take place that Raven decided to leave for good. But it was too late; the testing had changed her into a feral mutant that was marked for life. She couldn't find any other jobs. She did her best to get food and keep money coming in for the home. Soon, they had to move out and live in an old abandoned shack. Raven could last pretty well without food for a few days. But Kristen was young. She thinned quickly and soon became delusional. Raven didn't realize how bad the food-loss and living conditions had affected her until her sister started eating things that _weren't_ food. By then, it was too late. Kristen chocked to death while her sister was out looking for food. She had thought a huge rock was a piece of fruit and tried to chew it then swallow it whole.

Raven left the shack as soon as she saw her dead sister's body and wandered for a long time before she found John. He took care of her and got her back to normal; or as back to normal as a kid like her could get. The two developed feelings for each other. They got to know each other very well. Then John left to find the people who had killed his parents. He gave Raven money to survive while he was gone. Once he met Magneto, he started wiring it to her whenever he got the chance. Only a few months after that, Raven vanished. The money transfer didn't go through and he completely lost track of her.

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In the morning, John woke up before Raven. He decided, as a surprise, he would make her breakfast. She had never been much of a cooker, so he had taken it upon himself to cook the meals while they lived together. He went into the kitchen, looking around warily. It would have to be cleaned some time.

In the fridge, he found nothing. A carton of expired milk he hoped he hadn't touched, something green in a plastic container, and a plate with a fly infested bone on it. Closing the refrigerator, John turned to the cabinets. They were empty, with the exception of some old tuna cans – probably expired, and a box of cereal with worms in it. He turned away from the cabinets and to the sink. Maybe doing the dishes would be enough for her.

He felt a pang of guilt and a great amount of pity when he saw the bloody knife on the top of the dirty plates. That was when John made up his mind: he wouldn't leave her again, not for the world. He really didn't think he should be so important to her. But the only people who had shown compassion for her were her sister and him. Kristen was dead and Raven blamed herself. John had left her and she had vanished. If sticking around meant she would stop cutting herself, she would start eating right, and her home would begin to improve, he would stay forever.

He may have been an Acolyte, one of Magneto's merciless mutants, but that didn't mean he didn't have a small amount of compassion for somebody he once loved. Who knew? Maybe he could start over and build a nice little home for himself and Raven. Maybe he could make things turn up for the both of them. Maybe he could become something of stature and not just a pawn of an all-controlling-human-hating-ultra-powerful mutant.

John let out a sigh and started working on the dishes. He cleaned off the knife and all the plates, putting them back in their places, and looked around the kitchen. If Raven was still asleep, he might as well work on the rest of the kitchen. He worked hard, hoping he would be able to clean it all before Raven woke up. He could clean this whole place up; make it look some what live-able. Then he could work on Raven. She was more screwed up than when he had first met her. And it worried him. He prayed to every god he had never believed in and the one that he had that Raven would be better soon.


	4. All I Have Left

((A/N: I felt like writing more and I have no idea where I'm going with any of this. So here ya go! A blurb of nothingness that's just getting the story moving and not really doin anything else. Hope you like! Please RnR!))

"_Be good, baby," Raven said with a smile, "I'm gonna go to work. Don't let anybody into the house-"_

"_I know," Kristen replied as she pulled a bowl from the shelf._

"_And make sure all the doors are locked-"_

"_I know," Kristen said happily, grabbing a box of Frosted Flakes from the cabinet._

"_Don't answer the phone unless it's me. You can see on the caller ID-"_

"_I know," She poured the milk over the cereal in the bowl._

"_Be sure to drink plenty of water. It's getting hotter outside, you could get dehydrated.-"_

"_I know," she pulled a spoon out of the drawer and dove it into the bowl of cereal._

"_You going to be okay?"_

"_I'll be fine. It's not like I've never been home alone before," Kristen said with a giggle._

_Raven kissed her forehead, "I know. But I can't help but worry. You're only five and you act like you're fifty."_

"_And you act like my mom." Kristen said, smiling._

"_Only when I have to," Raven teased, ruffling her hair, "I gotta keep an eye on my little sister. You're all I have left."_

"_And you're all I have left. So come home from work." Kristen lectured mockingly._

"_I know." Raven said, laughing with Kristen._

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Raven sat up and squinted at the bright light shining in through the ceiling. _Haven't had that one in a while_, she thought to herself as she stood. _Not since I was happy._ But she shook the idea out of her head. The last time she was happy was the last time she lived with John. She looked over at the place he had been sleeping. Empty. He must have left. She didn't expect him to stay. People like him didn't hang around for too long. She had learned that one the hard way.

"Good morning," John said happily, coming in through the front door.

Raven's head snapped around and she stared at him in shock. There he was, standing in her doorway, holding a couple of grocery bags and a fast food takeout bag. He was smiling; the sun's warmth had made his cheeks bright in the toasty morning air. His bright red hair was just as brilliant as ever, with the sun coming in from the roof, making it seem even brighter. His eyes were bright and happy, sparkling with a light she rarely saw in them.

Looking at this bright and cheery Australian, Raven couldn't help but smile back and reply, "Good morning."

"Sleep well?" he asked, walking in and closing the door with his foot.

"Unusually, yes," Raven replied truthfully. _Truthful. Wow._ She couldn't help but think to herself. _Only with Saint John Allerdyce._ "What about you?"

John shrugged, "As good as I always do."

"The floor didn't bother you?" She asked, uncharacteristically concerned.

He shook his head, "I've had worse." He headed into the kitchen, "I have breakfast for us. And some groceries. You didn't have any food, so I figured I'd go out and buy some for you."

"You didn't have to do that," Raven replied, following him into the kitchen.

John shrugged, "I wanted to."

"I don't cook," Raven admitted, pulling out some of the groceries and helping him put them away.

"I do," He replied, throwing a smile at her over his shoulder.

"You don't have to stay," Raven said quietly, pausing mid-step.

"I want to," John said, closing the cubbord he was at and turning to face her, "I figured… if you have nobody else here… and I have no where else to go… why _shouldn't_ we live together for a while? We did it before."

"And before you had problems to solve," Raven replied, "And they never got solved. You shouldn't be planting yourself in one place if you have things you need to do."

John looked at Raven curiously. Last night's conversation came to his mind, _"Don't you _dare _run away again," she whispered, her voice shaky, "I don't think I could stand to wait for you again."_ He didn't understand it. But he just laughed, "You're just as confusing as ever. If you want me to stay, just say it."

Raven shook her head, "I don't want you to stay if you have other places you'd rather be or other things you need to do."

"Doesn't matter." John said stubbornly, "I called you and you came to get me. You brought me here and offered me a bed and a home… not exactly a roof over my head… but whatever. You invited me into your house and I'll leave when I'm good and ready."

Raven realized the conversation was taking a turn for the worse. It could end up like the night before; her letting out all her emotions and telling him everything. She didn't want that. So the laughed carelessly, "Fine. You wanna stay. Then you stay. I'm not gonna say no to company that's willing to cook for me."

John smiled, "Good. 'Cuz I got your favorite." He placed the take out bag on the floor in the center room and took out the deep fried food. The two sat together, smiling and laughing, eating the fast drive through meal. But neither was really happy. John could tell Raven had put back that desolate mask she always wore. Raven could tell John had things he had to do and he would probably leave soon.


End file.
